Fill in the Blanks: A 'What If' Story
by bionic4ever
Summary: FitB1: A different take on Jaime's amnesia. What if the surgery to restore her memory didn't work?
1. Chapter 1

**Fill in the Blanks** - A "What If" Story

Chapter One

Rudy and Michael watched from a distance as Jaime stared blankly at the old photo album Jim and Helen Elgin had sent to the hospital. The operation they'd hoped would restore Jaime's memory had not only failed to do so, but had also caused serious setbacks in both her physical and emotional condition. One month post-op, she remained extremely weak, almost lethargic, with little or no interest in re-building her strength. Much more alarming was the fact that the memory she did have before the surgery appeared to have disintegrated.

When she woke up from the anesthetic, Jaime had recognized Rudy and Michael, and she knew Steve's face (but not his name), and that was all. They'd told her she was there because of her amnesia. She had no knowledge of bionics, the OSI, or anything else. Slowly and very carefully, they were beginning to try and fill in the blanks.

Two days earlier, they'd given her a scrapbook she'd made while on the tennis circuit, and she'd looked at it with as much interest as if it were an advanced calculus textbook. When she'd finished, Michael drove her to a tennis court just off the grounds of Rudy's complex and handed her a racket. She stood on the edge of the court, the racket awkwardly pointed toward the ground, hanging loosely from one hand. Her eyes filled with tears when she realized she hadn't the vaguest idea how to hold the racket. Defeated before she'd even begun, Jaime slumped dejected against the fence and sank slowly to the ground.

Michael knelt beside her and tried to brush the tears from her face, but, mutely, she turned her head. "Jaime," he said softly, "if you want, I can show you a few of the basics, and maybe you'll -"

"No."

"You might actually like it, might even have some _fun_ with it. That's something that's been in pretty short supply for you lately."

"I don't need to find out how badly I suck at something where I used to be one of the best in the world," she told him sullenly.

"Jaime -"

"_I said NO_!" She struck the ground with the racket, deeply frustrated, and her weakened-but-still-activated right arm shattered it into dozens of pieces. Jaime stared at the fragments of what used to be a tennis racket in frightened, stunned silence.

Michael gently put an arm around her shoulders to try and stop her sudden shivering and to remind her she wasn't alone. "I'll bet it felt good, getting some of that anger out," he ventured, hoping she'd buy that explanation; she was in no way ready to hear about bionics.

"Can we just go back to the hospital? Please? I'd really like to lie down for awhile," she said in a very small voice.

"I'll take you back, but I don't think retreating to your room is a good idea -" Jaime was already halfway to the car.

------

As Rudy and Michael watched her with the new photo album, her lack of connection to - or any interest in - the pictures was glaringly obvious.

"This approach just isn't working," Michael noted. "She seems even more unhappy and distant now."

"Any new ideas?" Rudy asked.

"Well, Steve called yesterday. He said we should let him know if he can help in any way. Maybe if he looked at the albums with her, did some light reminiscing...I'll go call him."

"Wait, Michael. I have an associate out East - Allison Taylor -"

"I've met her; she does excellent work. But Jaime'll call her a shrink and refuse to work with her."

Rudy shrugged. "So we don't give her the option to refuse. I'll simply introduce her as Doctor Taylor, and tell Jaime she's here to assess her case."

"That could work," Michael agreed. "And if we brought Steve out, he could help gently persuade her."

"I'll go and call Allison, and you stay with our patient. Later tonight, you can call Steve."

------

Early the next afternoon, Jaime met the newest member of her medical team. Doctor Taylor had arrived just after breakfast and spent the morning becoming familiar with Jaime's case and meeting with Rudy and Michael. After lunch, Rudy took her down to Jaime's room for an initial assessment. Introductions were made, and Allison was left alone with her new patient so they could become acquainted.

"Do you remember waking up in the hospital?" Allison asked.

"Yes."

"What were your first thoughts; do you know?"

"Kind of like an animal in a trap - not sure where I was or what was going on, but full of this awful, overwhelming fear."

"Did you know who you were?" Allison asked gently.

"Not really. Once they said my name, I figured out they were talking to me, but in terms of who I am as a person, in all the ways that count, I still don't know."

"Do you _want_ to know?"

"Maybe...sometimes. What if I don't like the person I turn out to be, and I'm stuck with her?"

Allison smiled warmly. "I don't think that'll be a problem. From what I've heard, Jaime Sommers is a warm, loving person with a kind heart and a family and friends who adore her."

Jaime looked frightened. "What if I never find that person? What if I stay - like this?"

"Jaime, if you're interested, if it's something you feel you'd like to do, I can help you find that person again, and get to know her."

Although her eyes remained full of doubt, Jaime managed a tiny smile. "I think...I'd like that.

------


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Steve got to the hospital that evening, just in time for a conference with Jaime's three doctors. He'd agreed with their request to wait until the next morning to go and see her.

"I met Jaime for the first time this afternoon," Allison told him, "and was able to begin my initial assessment." She turned to the other two doctors. "I know you both feel Jaime's amnesia was caused by a lack of oxygen to her brain, but I have to disagree."

"What do you think triggered it?" Steve asked.

"Jaime's verbal skills and ability to express herself are very high. If the cause truly was organic, these abilities should've been lost to the same profound level that her memory was. I believe this was caused by an incident - or series of incidents - so traumatic that, in an attempt to block out those particular memories, her brain shut down _all_ of her memory cells as a sort of safety net."

"Steve, what do you think Jaime would consider the most traumatic thing that ever happened to her, if she had a full memory?" Rudy asked.

"The worst I can think of was losing both of her parents, but that was almost ten years ago."

"Did someone close to her die recently? That could've brought the memory back to the surface and caused the problem," Allison suggested.

"No - no one."

Allison thought for a moment. "Steve, was Jaime ever raped?"

"No. And up until she lost her memory, I believe she would've told me."

"We'll figure it out. I need you to gather some pictures for me tonight: her parents, your parents, Oscar Goldman, her childhood home and pictures of both of you as children. If you have it, I'd also like a picture of the plane from her accident, or a similar small plane." Steve nodded. "Tomorrow, you'll show them to her one at a time, like flashcards. We'll see what, if anything, she remembers about each one, and if any of them provoke a reaction. She could feel strongly about any or all of them without any memories attached, and that would tell me where to begin with her therapy."

"All of those should be here, except the plane. But I think there's a picture of me in full gear beside a plane, possibly the same plane, in the album in my car."

"Great," Allison said. "Thank you. Then I'd like you to try and get a good night's rest; you're probably going to need it."

------

The three doctors met again with Steve the next morning while Jaime picked at her breakfast. "Do you have any questions?" Allison asked him.

"Exactly what does she know now? They told me she had nothing at first, but what has she been told since then, so I know what to avoid?"

"She doesn't know her parents are dead; in fact, she hasn't asked any questions at all about her family," Michael told him. "She looked at quite a few photos yesterday but appeared to have absolutely no interest. We've also shown her a scrapbook about her tennis career, beginning to end, and that only seemed to depress her."

"Steve," Rudy began, "Jaime hasn't even heard the word 'bionic' since she woke up, although she had a small incident the other day where she accidentally shattered a tennis racket. But - once again - no questions."

"So," Steve summarized, "she's not much further along, memory-wise, than when she first woke up."

"Right," Rudy agreed grimly.

"I'd like you and Jaime to take a walk together," Allison explained, "to hopefully get her out of the 'patient' mode for a little while. You're probably safe answering any questions she might ask, but try to give specific answers, with no extra details she might not be ready to handle. If she wants to know about her parents, go ahead and tell her, but again, don't volunteer the information if she doesn't ask. For now, I'd advise glossing over any 'bionic' issues. I'll be waiting back here, on the benches in the garden, and we'll look at those pictures together when you get back."

"I think we'll be fine," Steve affirmed, nodding his head and unconsciously crossing his fingers.

------

Jaime shyly slipped her hand into Steve's as they headed into the small forest behind the complex. "Is that ok?" she asked.

"Of course." Steve gave her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"You know, this is the first time I've been more than ten yards away from a doctor or nurse. It feels so good! And...it feels so comfortable, being here with you. We must've been friends for a long time."

"Since we were kids."

"I wish I could remember. I hate feeling so disconnected."

"Jaime, the important thing to remember is that you're connected now. I'm here for as long as you need me to be. Rudy gave me a room just down the hall from yours, so anytime you need to talk, I'm here. And I really do mean anytime - even in the middle of the night. Ok?"

"Thank you," Jaime said softly.

"I'll do anything I can to help you, so please don't be afraid to ask."

Jaime smiled - a real smile - at him as they reached the stream on the other side of the trees. She looked out at the water, and Steve could see that something was on her mind. "What'cha thinking about?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"If we were kids together, then you must know my family."

"Yeah."

"I've been wondering: why haven't my parents come to see me, or at least called?"

"I know they would, if they could."

"Where are they?" she asked tentatively.

Steve mentally braced himself and placed a hand on her back, careful to keep it supportive and not romantic. "Jaime, I'm really sorry, but...they were both killed when you were 16."

"Oh." She was quiet for a few minutes, tortured by memories she didn't have and couldn't reach. Without thinking about it, she automatically leaned closer to Steve. His hand on her back became an arm around her waist, and she was pleasantly surprised by how comforting, and how _right_ that felt.

------


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Ok, Jaime," Allison told her when she and Steve returned from their walk, "Steve will show you some photos, and I'd like you to tell us if you remember anything at all about any of them, or if they make you feel any sort of emotion."

"Alright," Jaime answered, even though she'd really rather look at Steve. She was trying to figure out why she felt such a strong connection to him.

_Oscar's Picture._ "Don't know," Jaime said, "but he was here right after I woke up."

"That's right," Steve told her. "Here's the next one."

_Jaime's parents._ "I...don't know."

_The Elgins._ Jaime shook her head; there was nothing there, either.

_Jaime and Steve, ages 5 and 8, on a swingset._ "I'm not sure...is that...us?"

"Yes. You remember this?"

"No," she replied. "Educated guess."

"Well, it was a really good educated guess." Steve smiled at her.

_Her old house._ "Uh-uh," she answered.

"This is the last one," Steve told her, holding up the picture of the airplane (it was the same one) and Steve in full uniform, with a parachute.

Jaime jumped up from the bench as though it was on fire and backed away, trembling violently. "**NO**! I...don't wanna...look at that!" Steve set the photos on the bench and rushed to comfort her. Jaime threw herself into his waiting arms and completely broke down, sobbing on his shoulder.

"Jaime, what is it?" Allison asked gently. "Do you remember something?"

"No, but I feel really...scared. Threatened. I'm not sure why." She looked at Steve, and as he brushed the tears from her cheeks she felt something she couldn't name that was almost like an actual physical jolt. Jaime's mind had only questions and too many frustrating blanks, but she was suddenly certain that all the answers that mattered, she'd find in Steve's arms, and in his eyes.

------

"Tomorrow morning, the real work begins," Allison told Rudy, Michael and Steve at their nightly conference.

"What, exactly, are you gonna do to her?" Steve wanted to know.

"Rudy and Michael will monitor Jaime's physical condition from the next room with a remote monitoring system, Steve, so you and I will be the only ones actually in the room with her. Normally it's just me, but she specifically asked for you and since she'd been so skittish before you got here, I think it's a good idea."

"They've always had a very special connection," Rudy concurred.

"Once I start the pentothal drip, it should only be about 90 seconds before it takes effect. The therapy works in much the same way as hypnosis, but is less frightening for the patient. We'll delve into the subject that upset her so badly today -"

"Her accident," Steve said.

"Right. Now, it may or may not be the actual trigger for her amnesia, but it'll hopefully point us in the right direction. If all goes well, once we've explored any problem areas in her subconscious mind, when she comes out of it, the triggers will be in her conscious memory as well, and not be triggers any longer. Gradually, over the course of a few days or weeks, the rest of her memory should return, since the blocking incident has been dealt with."

"You said ' If all goes well'." Steve said. "What if it doesn't go well? What happens to Jaime then?"

"Unfortunately, in a small percentage of cases, the triggering incident proves to be simply too much to handle, and the patient slips into psychosis."

------


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Do you have any questions before we get started, Jaime?" Allison asked gently.

Jaime looked up at Steve and took his hand. She thought for a moment, then asked the doctor "If I wanna stop, how do I let you know?"

"You'll be able to tell me normally, but before you'd get to that point, your body language and vital signs will let us know we need to stop."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Steve asked, alarmed by the fear in her eyes.

"It scares me to death, but I can't keep living with swiss cheese for a brain. Yes, I'm sure." She looked at Allison. "And...I'm ready."

"Ok," the doctor nodded, and started the pentothal drip. Jaime concentrated on Steve's face, especially his eyes, because she felt calmer that way. After about a minute, her own eyes became glassy and distant. "How are you feeling?" the doctor asked.

"Alright. Good. Kinda floaty."

"Very good. I want you to keep floating until you find a nice, comfortable cloud."

"There's one. I see it."

"Great. Climb up there and just relax."

"I like this," Jaime whispered happily.

"Good. I want you to stay on that comfortable cloud while we go back to look at some incidents in your past that may have been painful. Stay on the cloud and remember that you're only observing; you are _not_ experiencing them in any way. Alright?"

" 'K."

"Jaime, you're going to float back in time to the day you went sky-diving with Steve."

"Ok. I...can see it."

"Very good. Now - observing only - tell me what the day was like, what you were feeling."

"The sky was really pretty: clear blue, no clouds. I was so excited. I'd always wanted to sky-dive, but was too nervous. With Steve, I felt safe."

Standing beside the bed, Steve flinched slightly. He felt he'd obviously been unable to keep her safe.

"What happened, Jaime?" the doctor prompted.

"We went up in the plane, held hands and jumped. We kissed in mid-air. I liked that part."

"Were you nervous, frightened?"

"No. We let go, and he watched me pull my cord, then he pulled his. We were floating down - kinda like I feel now. Then I heard a really weird noise, I looked up, and my chute was all shredded."

"That must've been really scary," Allison ventured.

"No. I tried to pull the reserve cord, but the ground was coming too fast. There was no time. I knew I was gonna die, but - it's weird - I wasn't scared. I hit the ground so hard, but I didn't get knocked out." Jaime stopped to catch her breath, and Allison glanced at Michael and Rudy, who were on the other side of a glass wall, monitoring her condition. Rudy's hand formed an 'ok' sign. So far, so good.

"What's the next thing you remember?"

"Steve was holding me. I was on the ground, but his arms were around me. He...had tears in his eyes. He told me he loved me and said 'Hang on, Sweetheart - please don't leave me.' But I couldn't answer him. I was already so far away...Then I couldn't feel his arms around me anymore. Couldn't feel my body, or any pain at all. I could see Steve, and hear him, but it was like - from a distance."

Steve's eyes were beginning to tear up now, with the vividness of her account. "Were you afraid?" Allison queried.

"No. I was...warm, happy. Calm. Then, I couldn't see Steve at all. There was this really bright, swirling light, and when I walked through it there was a bridge. On the other side it looked so beautiful - I can't even describe it. The colors were brighter, almost like everything was lit from the inside. I blinked ' cause it was so bright, and when I looked again, Mom and Dad were on the other side of the bridge, smiling at me. And my dog, from when I was really little, was with them. The dog wagged its tail and started running toward me. I reached for him, even though I knew - I just _knew_ - if I touched him I'd be dead too. But when he reached me, Mom and Dad called him back. I started across the bridge because I wanted to hug them and never let go. But...when my foot hit the bridge, all three of them started to fade. Mom said I had to go back."

Steve looked at the doctor with alarm as silent tears cascaded in a torrent down Jaime's face. At the same moment, Rudy tapped on the glass and shook his head vehemently, pointing to his chest. Jaime's heart rate had shot up dangerously high.

"Jaime," Allison said in a soft, soothing voice, "I think it's time to stop now."

"Noo-oo. I'm...almost done. Wanna finish."

"Ok, but remember - you're just observing."

"I was crying, or I would've been if I had a body. I begged and pleaded with them to let me stay. Mom looked so sad, but she said I had to go back, that Steve needed me. Then I could see him, in my mind, I guess - sitting by my bed, and he was crying. I didn't want to go back to that awful, broken and twisted body, but all of a sudden I felt this huge jolt of pain and I was back. God, I'd wanted to stay so badly! Even when I saw Steve hurting so much, I begged to stay where I didn't have to feel the pain."

Jaime was sobbing out loud now, very close to hysteria. "What kind of monster am I? I...loved him so much...but I wanted to let him keep hurting, so I didn't have to."

Rudy knocked on the glass again, much more insistently, then drew a finger across his throat, telling Allison to bring her out _now_. Allison had already begun doing that. They had found their trigger.

------


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Jaime was given oxygen to help her system metabolize the pentothal faster. Her vital signs quickly returned to normal and she fell into a deep sleep. When she woke up, all three doctors were in the adjoining room, keeping a close eye on the remote monitors. The first thing Jaime saw when her eyes fluttered open was Steve smiling down at her.

"Hi there."

"We did it, huh?" she said in a proud but still groggy voice.

"_You_ did it. And I'm so proud of you."

"Steve...I - I was willing to let you suffer, instead of coming back where I belong. I'm so sorry."

"Choosing to leave a beautiful place like that - and your parents - to go back to a life full of pain? I don't think any human being could've made that choice." His hand softly caressed her cheek. "Jaime, please don't torture yourself over that anymore - ever. Anyone would've wanted exactly what you did. Do you understand that?"

"Yes," she whispered through tears of gratitude. Jaime was quiet for a few moments, intently searching Steve's face.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah. I think so. There was something else I thought I saw, but I wasn't sure..."

"What is it?"

"It looked...like I was wearing an engagement ring. Were we gonna get married?"

Her hazel eyes locked with his blue ones, and Steve found there was nothing he could do except tell her the truth. "Yes."

"_Are_ we married?"

"No." Steve found that her eyes wouldn't let him go. "After your accident, there were some complications, then your amnesia -"

"And I woke up and didn't remember you! Oh, how awful! Steve, I...I'm so sorry."

"It wasn't your fault; you need to understand that."

"I'm still sorry for everything you must've gone through and for what you're still going through."

"I don't want you to worry about that. If I couldn't handle it, I wouldn't be here. Ok?"

"Ok. Thank you." Jaime smiled back at him, her eyes still magnetically drawn to his. "Steve -?"

Steve grinned. "You've got that ' I need a hug' look."

"How'd you know what I was gonna say?"

Steve gathered her into his arms and, as he pulled her close, he caught a fleeting glimpse of the old, pre-amnesia Jaime. He longed to kiss her and try to urge that part of her back to the surface, but knew it was better to wait and just let it happen. He'd seen that the spark still existed inside her. It hadn't been snuffed out and thus still had the potential to burst into flame. That knowledge was more than enough to give Steve hope.

------

Rudy had insisted on keeping Jaime in bed for the remainder of the day, to give her system a rest and to make sure there was nothing wrong with her heart.

"Why do I have to stay in bed, Rudy?" she asked crossly. "I'm not an invalid."

"No, but you are my patient, and your doctor insists you stay in bed until tomorrow morning for the good of your health. And that, young lady, is exactly what you will do. Understand?"

"Aye-aye, Captain!"

"Besides," Rudy continued, checking Jaime's vital signs as they talked, "I understand you've got a big day tomorrow."

"Memory tests. And a picnic."

"With Steve?"

"Yeah."

"Just don't push yourself too hard, Honey," Rudy told her, patting her shoulder as he finished the check-up. "I've got a feeling you'll be just fine before you know it.

------


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Are these the same pictures as the other day?" Jaime asked.

Steve smiled. He did an awful lot of that when he was with Jaime, but he just couldn't help it. "Some are re-runs, with a few new ones thrown in, just for fun."

Jaime raised an eyebrow at him. "So - show me." She looked at the first picture. "Those are my parents."

"What were their names?"

"James and Ann."

"Good," Steve told her. Allison sat across from them, taking notes and remaining silent. Steve held up the next one: Jaime's childhood home.

"That's where I used to live. And...that tree...we built a treehouse up there."

"That's right." Steve glanced at the doctor. He was amazed; 48 hours earlier, this had all been blank. He showed Jaime the next photo and prepared to duck.

"Steve! That's a horrible picture!" She was laughing.

"Do you remember why you looked like that?"

"Umm...didn't you put a lizard down my shirt?"

"Actually, it was a snake," he told her. From the other bench, Allison couldn't supress a giggle.

"Close enough. You can put that one away now." Jaime looked at the next photo. "Jim and Helen Elgin."

"Who are they?"

"Your parents; my second parents," Jaime answered.

"Very good. Are you getting tired?" Steve asked.

"Uh-uh. More - this is fun!" She looked at the next one. "That's my horse." She saw the one that followed and made a face at Steve. "You're not very nice."

"So, who is it?"

Jaime stuck out her tongue. "Duh. It's me."

"And?"

"And the face is because of the bird poop on my head, Smarty!" She looked at the next one. "Oscar."

"Where do you know him from?"

"I'm...not sure."

"That's ok," he said reassuringly. "Here's the last one." It was the picture of Steve and the plane. A tiny pearl of a tear formed in each of Jaime's eyes, but she didn't cry and continued to look at it. "That's you - and an airplane. That's _the_ plane, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Steve answered, watching her every bit as closely as Allison was.

"Jaime," Allison began in a gentle voice, "how do you feel when you look at that?"

"Kinda shaky. But ok. You look really good in that uniform," she told Steve.

"Thanks. Ready for lunch?"

"Yup. And if there's any justice in the world, there'll be a bird flying right over your head!"

------

Jaime spread the blanket out by the stream and Steve set the basket on the ground. As they sat down together, Steve couldn't help noticing that her hair had the same golden shimmer as the sun and her skin had a healthy glow that had been missing two days earlier.

"You look happy," he noted.

"I am. It's a beautiful day and I'm here with you; you haven't given up on me."

"I could never give up on you."

"And I had some very interesting dreams last night."

"Oh?"

Jaime blushed. "They were about you."

"Care to share 'em?"

"Well, they started like this." Jaime moved closer to Steve and gave him a soft, tentative kiss. Her eyes grew wide. She could feel the spark now, too.

Steve read the change in her instantly, took her gently into his arms and held her close. He let her lead the way, and her next kiss was longer, firmer and filled with a hunger for everything she'd been missing. Many minutes later, when they finally took a breath, Steve reluctantly told her "You know, if you don't eat your lunch, Rudy's gonna kill me."

Jaime sighed a mock sigh. "Alright, but I feel like rebelling; let's eat the cake first." She fished the knife out of the basket and began to cut up their dessert. A bird flew over their heads and she looked up, hoping it would even the score and give her revenge for Steve showing that picture. As her head tilted upward, her hand slipped and the knife made a small cut in her right index finger, just enough to let her see the wires and circuits within.

Jaime screamed and her face turned ghost-white. "What the hell...?" She got up and took off running in a blind panic. It didn't take long for Steve to catch up to her, but she didn't want him to look at her now.

Steve grabbed her and held tightly, not letting her go even though she was fighting him. Once her tears had stopped, she looked up at him in total bewilderment. "Steve...? I'm...a robot."

------


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Jaime's tears were replaced by a burning rage as she stared at the wires in her finger. Steve kept his left arm firmly around her waist, and when she turned her back to him in a struggle to get away, he grabbed her right arm with a vice-like grip. He was afraid if she broke away from him, she could seriously hurt herself, or worse. Although her bionics had been partially tuned down, panic and anger had sent adrenaline coursing through her veins and Steve found he could barely restrain her.

"I've been here over a month and no one thought it was important enough to fill me in on the fact that I'm a damned _machine_?"

"Jaime -"

"No! Let go of me!"

Jaime pulled her right elbow back with all the force she could muster and jammed Steve in his gut. He'd seen it coming and managed to steel the muscles before she hit him, but the blow was still enough to send him reeling backward about ten feet, the wind knocked out of him, and he landed sprawled out on the grass.

Steve was back on his feet almost instantly, but the split-second head start was all Jaime had needed. She was gone. It was impossible, even with his eye, to tell which way she'd run. He thought she might have gone back to the hospital and he started off in that direction.

The sound of tearing metal (the chain link fence?) told him the real story, and it wasn't the answer he'd wanted: she was headed off the grounds. Two more sounds chilled Steve to the bone - a single gunshot and a blood-curdling scream of pain and fear.

"**_Steve_**!"

He took off at bionic speed and found the hole in the fence where, a few yards away, two armed men were trying to force Jaime into a car. Steve wasn't about to let that happen. For the moment, Jaime was occupying their attention and holding her own, refusing to get in the car, even with guns pointed at her.

"Lady," one of them snarled, "I can get just as much money for you dead as alive, and I'd rather shoot you than fight with you, so just stop struggling and -"

Steve leapt into action. The one on Jaime's right went down with a karate chop to his neck, and the one on her left, Steve took down with a firm and well-placed kick to the backs of his knees. The driver, not wanting to wait for his turn, took off, leaving his comrades lying in the dirt.

"Jaime - run!" he told her urgently. "Go back to the hospital and tell Rudy to call Oscar!" Jaime was too shocked to move. "Dammit, Jaime - GO!"  
Finally, Jaime obeyed. Rudy and Michael were already outside the front entrance, having been alerted by a nurse who'd thought she heard a gunshot.

"Jaime - what happened?" Michael asked. "Where's Steve?"

Jaime fought to catch her breath; her weakened condition had finally caught up with her. "Call - Oscar. Two men - they had guns - they tried to take me - Steve...needs...help." That was all she could manage. Rudy and Michael caught her as her legs gave out from under her.

------

Steve restrained the would-be kidnappers with pieces of the broken fence, watching them until Oscar's men arrived to pick them up. They would be charged with the attempted kidnapping of a federal agent (even though at the moment, the agent didn't know that she was one), assault and battery and anything else Oscar could find to pin on them.

"Is Jaime alright?" Steve asked as they headed back to the hospital.

"I didn't see her, Pal. Rudy said she overdid it, but she's resting now."

"She cut her finger, Oscar; she saw the wires. I need to be there when she wakes up." Steve headed up to Jaime's room and Oscar stopped in to see Rudy.

"So how is our patient, Rudy?" Oscar inquired.

"She's improved dramatically over the last two or three days. Today was a set-back, of course, but nothing she can't overcome. She'll have to learn about bionics sooner than we'd planned, but I think after the initial shock she'll do ok with it."

"I hope you're right."

-------

When Jaime woke up several hours later, Steve was at her side, holding her hand. Rudy had already repaired the cut in her finger to spare her the trauma of seeing it again.

"Jaime, I'm so sorry I yelled at you," Steve told her quietly.

"It got me moving. But you - are you ok? I didn't mean to hit you so hard -"

"Abs of steel, Sweetheart," he said lightly. "I'm fine."

"Still, I'm so sorry - about everything. I should've -"

"It's ok. You were scared; you didn't really know what you were doing."

"I grabbed the fence and it tore away in my hand. I don't understand, and I'm not sure I want to. I definitely don't wanna be a robot."

"You're not a robot or a machine. Jaime, you're the same living, breathing human being you always were." Steve looked directly into her eyes."You're the same person who had a snake down her shirt and a bird that made a mess in her hair." He reached over and gently caressed her face. "You're the same woman I fell in love with, and the only woman I could ever possibly love. I couldn't give my heart to anyone else, because it's been yours ever since we were little kids. Nothing in the world could ever change that."

"Thank you for today," Jaime whispered. "I know you saved my life. There's so much we need to talk about - so much I need to know - but right now, I'm -"

"Tired?"

"There you go again, knowing what I was gonna say."

Steve gave her a quick but very warm kiss. "You rest now, Sweetheart. When you wake up, we'll talk, for as long as you want. Ok?"

There was no answer. Jaime was already asleep.

------


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Jaime listened quietly as Steve explained the concept of bionics, how they worked and how she came to receive them. She seemed to be taking it all in stride.

"Is it just my hand?" she asked when he'd finished.

"Your whole arm, one ear -"

"My ear? Yuck!"

"And both legs." Steve watched her carefully, but she didn't seem to be panicked and she didn't cry.

"Oh." She took a few moments to silently absorb this. "So...without this...stuff, I'd be in a wheelchair?"

"Without the bionic surgery, Sweetheart, Rudy and the other doctors wouldn't have been able to save you," he answered, as gently as he could.

"Rudy? He...did this?"

"He's primarily a scientist, but a damn good doctor, too. The 'thank you's would go to him, but if you're looking for someone to blame, I guess that'd be me."

"What do you mean?" Jaime asked, frowning slightly.

"When you had your accident, there was no other way to keep you alive. Back then you told me I should've let you die, and maybe I was being selfish, but - I didn't wanna lose you. So I asked them to make you bionic, to save your life."

"Them?"

"The government." Steve paused, and thought to himself that he may as well tell her the rest of it. "The person I actually talked to, who gave it the green light, was Oscar."

"Did you know him through NASA?"

"Not exactly. I first met him when I was testing some top secret aircraft for the government. The last test flight I took, the one that caused me to retire, was a crash; a really bad crash. Rudy had been looking for a test subject and Oscar was familiar with my work, so somehow I became the guinea pig."

"You're...bionic, too?"

"That's right. You don't think I'm a robot or a machine, do you?"

"No-o-o."

"Here, let me show you something." Steve very tenderly cupped her face in both of his hands, stroking her cheeks with his fingertips. When he was done, he looked directly into her eyes. "Now, which one of those hands is bionic?"

"I...don't...know," she said, very slowly.

"I rest my case."

------

Two days later, they were ready to try the picnic idea again, although, at Jaime's insistence, they had cookies instead of cake. For the first time in over a month, Jaime's appetite had returned, and she and Steve had made short work of everything the staff had packed and were now sitting back, enjoying nature - and each other.

"It's so beautiful here," Jaime sighed happily. "But I'd really like to go home, now that I remember where home is."

"Rudy said it won't be much longer. Maybe a week or so. Possibly less, if you have someone to keep an eye on you." He grinned. "And I've got the perfect person in mind."

"Oh? Who would that be?"

"Well, how would you feel about coming home with me? My house has a guest room, and you could stay there as long as you want, or as long as Rudy thinks it's necessary."

"Live with you, huh?"

"In a manner of speaking, but you'd have your own room."

"Damn." She smiled wickedly, then leaned over to kiss him. "You'd really do that for me?"

"There's nothing in the world that I wouldn't do for you - you should know that by now." Steve's arms circled around her and he pulled her in for a longer, deeper kiss. "So, what do you think?" he asked when they surfaced for air. "Sound like a plan?"

"The guest room part; might it be negotiable somewhere down the line?"

"It's possible," Steve told her. "But I don't want you to feel that's why I'm asking you to come with me."

"Steve? Shut up and kiss me." With her eyes holding him prisoner, there was really nothing else he could do. Later, as they walked back to the hospital, Jaime reflected on the day. "You know, today was almost perfect."

"Almost?"

Jaime laughed. She still hadn't gotten revenge for the photo. "There's never a bird around when I really need one."

END


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